The Security Architecture of Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf is one of the most important geostrategic regions. There is no any regional security arrangement in this region and this region has been in the top priorities of the US as the main foreign power in the region for decades. This article is focused on the development of the regional and US security strategies for the Persian Gulf and their shortages and problems. US changing strategies could not provide security and produced more problems and challenges for the regional security. There is not a comprehensive regional security organization or arrangement in the region.
Mackinder claimed that the “Who rules the Heartland commands the World-Island, (the power) who rules the World-Island commands the World”. Geopoliticians believe his doctrine was influential during the World Wars and the Cold War.
Where is the heartland now? Among different geographical regions, the Persian Gulf with about 65 per cent of world’s oil reserves is the most important region, that has attracted the great powers attention and formed serious competitions within the international system , control of resources, actors and processes in this region become one of the most important issues in the international politics.
Strategic resources, interest of the great powers in this region, tensions and disputes between regional countries, war and military clashes, colonial tradition of foreigner military presence are the security characteristic of the Persian Gulf. These characteristics are the main subject of Geopolitics and Geostrategy. Persian Gulf believed to be 21st century heartland. Great power interest and accumulation of military troops in the region is the sign of this reality. Any crisis in the region will be followed by certain consequences for regional and other power and states. Mojtahedzadeh believes that, from the United States’ viewpoint two important regions of Caspian Sea and Persian Gulf are known as producer to supply the world’s energy demand in the 21st century. This is important, due to controlling the scarce material particularly the energy resources are known as a necessity to forming a unipolar geopolitical order and to create global hegemony. Geo-economics particularly has been understood as main driver behind postwar American foreign policy.
In fact, the best way to see what’s happening today in the Persian Gulf is through a geopolitical prism. American leaders have embarked on the classical geopolitical project of assuring U.S. dominance. Persian Gulf is a region enjoying high importance in global developments due to the world’s dependence on its rich energy (oil and gas) reserves and other resources as well as its strategic position. Therefore, any event affecting security of the Persian Gulf will become important to international and global security as well.